The present invention relates to the weighing of railroad cars coupled in motion, and is particularly concerned with a system that is adaptable for coupled-in-motion weighing of railroad cars during loading thereof.
Many of the advantages of being able to weigh railroad cars while coupled and in motion are apparent. For maximum accuracy, full draft weighing of each railroad car is desirable, but has been found difficult to obtain with cars coupled in motion, because prior art full draft weighing has generally required a weigh platform that extends the entire length of the railroad car under consideration but does not extend far enough to include a portion of an adjacent railroad car. Such a full draft weighing system is not available with respect to the weighing of cars coupled in motion wherein the cars have slightly variable lengths.
It is also desirable to obtain an accurate weight reading during the loading of the railroad cars and while the railroad cars are coupled in motion. Maximum accuracy can be achieved by obtaining a full draft weight of the railroad car under consideration during loading thereof, with the loading being terminated automatically when the car has reached a predetermined weight.
One of the problems that has been found to exist when an attempt is made to accurately weigh the railroad car during loading thereof, is that once the railroad car reaches the predetermined weight and the loading chute is closed, additional material falls from the loading chute because there is a finite time delay in totally stopping the flow of material being loaded. It is desirable, therefore, that this overflow problem is alleviated.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide an improved system for full draft weighing of railroad cars coupled in motion.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system in which railroad cars coupled in motion are weighed as they are being loaded.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a coupled-in-motion weighing system that is relatively simple in operation and efficient to manufacture.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a coupled-in-motion weighing system which is automatic in operation and utilizes logic circuitry to achieve its purpose.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coupled-in-motion weighing system in which the loading of the car is accomplished during weighing, with the loading being initiated automatically and terminated automatically.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coupled-in-motion weighing system in which a railroad car is loaded automatically with the loading being automatically discontinued if the railroad car is in position to pass from underneath the loading chute.
A further object of the present invention is to provide means for indicating if the speed of the railroad car being weighed is too slow or too fast for proper loading, to thereby indicate to the engineer that corrective action is appropriate so as to maintain the speed of the train within an acceptable range for weighing while the cars are coupled in motion.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.